Is This is What Americans Consider Sacrifice These Days?

[scfr]

If you get a Sunday paper, you may have seen the annual "what do people make" issue of Parade magazine.

They included results of a survey, and these two questions really caught my attention.

Q: Have you had to make sacrifices over the last year to make ends meet?
A: Yes = 74%
No = 26%

Q: What have you had to sacrifice?
A: Vacation plans = 68%
Dining out = 67%
Home improvements = 52%
Going to the movies = 50%
Designer clothes = 34%
Jewelry = 32%

Am I the only one who doesn't see a single sacrifice on that list?
These are the sorts of things I would consider a sacrifice:
- Having to forgo a necessary medical treatment
- Not having enough to eat to meet my basic nutritional requirements
- Giving up my home and going and living in my car

The answers people gave to what qualify as a "sacrifice" are mind-boggling to me. They are talking about scaling back on unnecessary luxuries. Since when does that qualify as a sacrifice?

Sorry to rant, but after reading those poll results I felt quite dismayed ... Are Americans really that out of touch with reality?

[sweeps]

Very interesting, I agree with you.

[disneysteve]

I looked up the word sacrifice and #3 on the list of definitions, after #1 and #2 which both refer to animal sacrifices, was this:

"3. the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim."

I see nothing wrong with calling giving up the things on that list sacrifices. I don't think something has to be a basic necessity to qualify as a sacrifice. If you take a family vacation every year and this year you are skipping it for financial reasons, I think that is a sacrifice. If you and your spouse do a monthly date night and go to dinner and a movie and you've stopped doing that for financial reasons, I think that is a sacrifice, too.

You are giving up something desirable for the sake of a more pressing need.

[maat55]

Kinda makes my giving up the golf membership, my motorcycle and cable wimpy. Of course, I would give up much more, but anything else would affect princess.

[Snave]

I agree with Disney Steve on this one. By definition, it does not have to mean that you are on the verge of living in a car or not seeking medical attention. Certainly these are major sacrifices, but I believe that all of the ones in the survey can be deemed sacrifices as well. In the grand scheme, they are just minor. I have been on the site now for a few months and have enjoyed and learned many things in that short period. However, I sometimes feel as if this is an anti-spending board. It just seems that there is an anti-spending sentiment that weaves its way through nearly every thread. That is just a personal opinion and no one else may feel that way, but I just wanted to throw it out there.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I too feel those things can be sacrifices. Usually we'd be taking more trips but money is somewhat short this year. So we're not. Is that a huge deal? No, but I'm just trimming our expenses in general.

[Broken Arrow]

I suppose the gist is that giving up certain luxuries, while can be technically considered as sacrifices, is still not really all that impressive....

I can agree with that sentiment.

[Brokemofo]

I certainly feel like I have been sacrificing lately. Since being told a few weeks ago of my impending layoff next month, I have not done any of the things I normally do with the exception of buying gas and 1 hair cut. I am seriously considering selling the cars and home as well. Selling all that should definitely qualify as a sacrifice.

[Gruntina]

I have been living frugally out of needs more than wants for some time and gotten used to this way of living. Have been living this way myself made the sacrifices listed from Parade magazine seems frivolous. I have been without those listed that it would be nothing I can improve to lower my cost in my living expenses.

Recently after paying off a large sum of debts, I have more room in my budget for occasional eating out and little house improvements and a better vehicle. I am still overjoyed with having those things in my life.

I am careful to save and watch my spending because I don’t want to go back to the bare necessity life style. It really depend on where you stand financially to how big the sacrifice. I strive to have a better financial life to where I think sacrificing a vacation is a big sacrifice as that is better place to be than staying home because you can not afford to put gas in your car and only have a few bucks left till next pay day while the fridge is empty.

[LuxLiving]

Stick around Snave, there are times when we'uns SavingAdvice folks get spendy! Most people here encourage the saving lifestyle over the spendy one just on the principal that many of our real life compatriots don't. But, I've been here through cycles when we get on the bandwagon pushing someone to 'go ahead' and spend too.

As to the insert, scfr there are things on that list that I wouldn't EVER spend money on even if I was rolling in dough, so it's no sacrifice to me now not to spend on it. By personality I'm somewhat gypsy-ish and having to cut travel would be a PERSONAL sacrifice. Not that I have to have it, it's just feeds such a soul need for me that it would hurt to have to cut it from the budget. I cut many other things in order to be able to do that every year. It's not a true NEED but a high priority WANT. I vote for disneysteve's dictionary definition on this one.

However, in the grand scheme of life those items in the insert are all pretty superficial things compared to the items on your list that many are facing every day.

[sweeps]

Originally Posted by Snave

It just seems that there is an anti-spending sentiment that weaves its way through nearly every thread.

Well, this is SavingAdvice.com.

[Pitman]

Am I the only person that laughed when they seen 34% sacrifice for Designer Clothes?

Some people put too much emphasis on name brands.


*shakes head

[pjmama]

I think sacrifice is entirely relative. I would consider these sacrifices as well. When people are used to living a certain way and have to give certain luxuries up, that is still a sacrifice. I feel that giving up eating at restaurants is just a necessary thing (when I actually follow through), but at the same time I consider it a sacrifice because it's something I really enjoy doing. But I guess there are degrees of sacrifice (living in your car is certainly a bigger sacrifice than not going ot the movies).

My whole problem is the value that is put on these luxuries. Because they are now considered "sacrifices," that means that they are the norm. Going out to eat is no longer something special. It's just going out to eat. Same with taking trips. This is how we get into such debt, because people think that these are things that we should just have, rather than working or saving up for...

[Snave]

Originally Posted by sweeps

Well, this is SavingAdvice.com.

I completely understand the site is savingadvice.com and even thought about it when I typed what I did. And what I began to to think about is, why do we save? At some point in time, the purpose of saving is so that we have money to spend. (Hopefully) Not all of our spending choices are going to be for needs such as putting food on the table or paying for medical treatment. We also save for wants such as that vacation, or that new watch or TV. That is all I am talking about. It would be like being on a site for dieting, having lost 30 pounds and feeling as if you can't reward yourself with a slice of pizza for your efforts.

[sweeps]

I agree with you 100% Snave. However, you usually don't have to encourage anyone to spend money -- if they're going to splurge, they're going to splurge. The saving's the tough part that needs the extra encouragement.

Plus as Lux points out, you'll find that many times people have green-lighted splurges whenever the OP has the means or has worked hard to earn it.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I don't think these were the answers people spontaneously gave to an open-ended question. I think these were the choices they were given to select from to answer it.

How would I even answer the question given those choices? I'm not sure. Would I say I've sacrificed going to the movies to make ends meet? I'm not sure. In fact, I have not been going to the movies, so that helps ends meet. Bit then, I haven't gone to the movies in 21 years, so can I say I sacrificed it this past year? If I really wanted go go and did not, well, then maybe it was a sacrifice. But I never really wanted to go to the movies in all those years, so where's the sacrifice?

Same with some of the other stuff on the list. I barely want any jewelry and do not find it hard at all not to get any year, after year, after year. I know that saves a lot of money compared to someone who buys jewelry two, three, or more times a year. Not buying jewelry helps makes ends meet, so do I tick off the box next to this choice?

Okay, then, where is the box to say that I sacrificed buying a Kentucky horse farm, a luxury yacht harbored in Spain, and my own mine so that I could make sure the pink granite in my kitchen remodel all matches?

[Caoineag]

I am afraid I agree with DisneySteve. Probably doesn't help that my family always placed a priority on having a vacation (ours never cost alot so you had to be pretty poor not to afford them). The last three on the list have never been a priority for me but that doesn't mean someone might not value them.

[DebbieL]

Yes, when you are used to going on vacations, going out to eat, etc., it is a sacrifice (to you) to give those things up. I see nothing wrong with the use of the word here. I would consider it a sacrifice if I couldn't have any of life's luxuries. I save and do all the right things too, but I enjoy ordering pizza on Friday night when I'm burned out and don't feel like cooking. Going to Disneyland every couple years gives me and my family something to really look forward to and dream about during the everyday working life!

I'm with Disneysteve on this one - and obviously another Disney fan I need my fix! If I lost my livelihood tomorrow, of course I would have to make some sacrifices of luxuries for awhile - and I would most definitely consider them sacrifices.

[tripods68]

This is interesting how you view the world versus how others view you. Of course, the experiences you have differs greatly from everyone else based on culture, religion, politics, education, income, or social standings. This is all relative in every society. The beauty of this country is you can live the "American Dream" and people should not be judge how people live their life no matter how different it is about your own. The survey definitely brings out debate into questions and it polarizes about the "jonases" even more.

[scfr]

Yes - it's very likely there was a problem with the way the survey was worded. If the question had been "where have you cut back, trimmed your spending, etc" and these replies were given, I would not have a problem with it.

But the word "sacrifice" is just too strong. A definition I saw referred to giving up something precious. If you came in to my house and asked me what is precious, if it doesn't breath and eat it is not making the list!

I have no problem whatsoever with spending. I truly enjoy a nice vacation every once and awhile, and I also enjoy my creature comforts.

My problem is with referring to giving up luxuries as a "sacrifice" as it just seems so overly-dramatic. [Thanks BA ... you got the gist of my OP perfectly.] I don't want to start thinking of giving up such things as sacrifice, or I will become desensitized when people start referring to "making sacrifices" ... Depending on my mood, I will either think "so what?" or "good for you!"

I suppose what I really hope for is that more people will start monitoring their inflow vs. outflow more carefully, keep their spending under control, and live more of a sustainable lifestyle so that they do not ever have to make "sacrifices" of any sort, major or trivial.

Oh ... and I'm sorry about not weighing in earlier, but this past week I've either (depending on your perspective):
A. Had the priviledge of working a lot
OR
B. Been sacrificing a lot of leisure time